When Calls the Heart, Season 6 premiere, Mistaken
by Genevieve Giuffre' Mayor
Summary: Hi everyone, I think this could work as the Christmas special premiering Season 6 of When Calls the Heart. It was great therapy for me to write it, and so I hope it is uplifting for you as well. Thanks for all you kind comments on Hard of Hearts, by my good friend, Lori Hughes and I, and my Relieved Hearts as well. As soon as I figure out how to respond to the reviews, I will :)


**Hi readers :)**

 **I also have this story that follows the actual ending of Season 5. This one also floated around my head for a few months before I was able to get it written down...it was kind of my therapy after the shocking conclusion of that devastating finale. This is just one scenario that I could see some clever writers doing for Season 6, because it seems very doable. Hope you enjoy the special cast member in my version, and that you enjoy the whole story as well! Happy reading :)**

Premiere of Season 6: if we follow what happened the end of Season five...

Elizabeth woke up one morning, her belly growing increasingly bigger all the time now as she was in her second trimester. "Hmm, a restful night is getting harder and harder, it would seem...I hope the children don't mind if I take a nap during lunch time" she thought to herself. After gathering her belongings, she quickly dusted her frames of her and Jack before she left for schoolhouse. "Oh Jack, I miss you so much", she said out loud, halfway hoping he'd answer her somehow. "Our baby is growing so fast, I wish you were here now, and when the baby comes...". She looked around the row house, it was going to be a cozy place for newlyweds, but now it would have to suffice for Elizabeth alone to raise their baby. She was struggling greatly now that she was in the second trimester missing her handsome Mountie husband, Jack, who tragically died a few months before just a short time after their wedding. She sighed aloud as she looked about the row house and thought, "Jack would probably be working on our baby's cradle, how happy he would be to be making one for our baby, and now.. Now"...she could feel a tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped her cheeks as she reassured herself to be in a good mood before she left for the school. "Then again, what would Jack say if he saw how big I'm getting", she then chuckled at herself, and picked up her lunch to take with her to school, "One thing is for sure, before I know it, this baby will be here". And with one last look in the mirror, she headed out the door and walked to town.

Hope Valley had felt the loss of Jack Thornton very profoundly. Not only was he their constable, he was a great friend to everyone in town. especially, Lee Coulter. Lee and Jack were fast friends, and quick to become best friends, Lee thought to himself in his office one day. His thoughts were interrupted by his wife, Rosemary who bounded through the door bringing him lunch to have later. "Why Lee, what are you thinking about?", she asked noticing he looked far away at that moment. "Hi Sweetheart, I was thinking about Jack, and that I had offered to help him build his homestead. I still have the plans for it here on my desk". Rosemary felt sorry for Lee, she knew he was hurting, as they all were, but she also knew it bothered her husband to not fulfill a promise and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the forehead. "Dear Lee, I know you miss Jack, we all do, and I also know my husband wants to make good on his offer to build Jack's house, it's one of the many things I love about you, but Elizabeth is in her second trimester before the baby comes, I'm sure she's far too concerned with the baby coming to be thinking about Jack's land sitting empty". "Well I know that Rosie, but I feel obligated to see what I can do. You know, if anything had happened to me, Jack and Elizabeth would have made sure you were comfortably settled in a place of your own just like I wanted to give you". "Oh Lee, of course they would have, but what can you do?" "I don't know, I am going to start with talking to Bill, and see if there is anything in place for Mountie widows to help me get the house started for Elizabeth, I know Jack would want me to at least try"...He smiled to himself thinking of his friend, and felt a tad bit more invigorated having assigned himself with his own special mission.

People were bustling about the streets, and Bill Avery was monitoring the town for Jack as Mountie Headquarters had still not sent a replacement to Hope Valley since Jack's death. But Bill didn't mind, it was an absolute privilege for him to watch over Jack's home town, and he kept an eye on his wife too mostly through Abigail. Speaking of Abigail, she was packing up some scones when she noticed Elizabeth was walking by the café on her way to school. So Abigail grabbed the basket of tastiness and ran them out to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth", she called out, "wait a minute"...she ran up to her friend, and Elizabeth smiled as she ran hurriedly towards her. "Why Abigail, what's your hurry?", and she couldn't help but giggle a little. "Oh, I just wanted to give these to you before school, I thought maybe munching on something during class may stave off the sleepies until lunchtime at least, I remember how sleepy I got before Peter was born, somedays I could barely stay awake passed noon". Elizabeth couldn't completely conceal her astonishment at the sight of all the tasty scones, and was slightly embarrassed considering the goodies probably wouldn't help her growing figure too much. "Well I'll certainly be the size of the schoolhouse if I keep eating your wonderful scones, Abigail, but it's so funny that you gave me these to help me to stay awake...because I was hoping I can make it to lunch without falling asleep..." she said with a smile. Abigail said, "Well perhaps the children will let you catch a few winks at lunchtime?" She then hugged her friend and wished Elizabeth a good day. The friends parted and went their separate ways, Hope Valley residents were certainly trying to go about as they always had, but they were definitely missing a part of themselves.

Meanwhile back in Cape Fullerton, Col. Connors was sitting at his desk when a Mountie delivered a telegram to him. It was from Lee Coulter inquiring about the possibility of starting work on Jack's house for Elizabeth. The Colonel's aid walked in just then, as he was finishing the telegram and placed it down. He started with a sigh, "Constable, I don't normally grieve for one of our own so much, but ever since Constable Thornton died saving those two soldiers on what was supposed to be a safe training assignment, I feel so responsible for his widow. They don't make many Mounties like Jack Thornton." "Yes sir, I met him on a couple of occasions, he was a remarkable fellow". "The thing is, Constable, I want to do what I can to help his widow, Elizabeth, and I understand she is with his child". "Certainly, sir"...the two men sat lost in thought. The young constable felt bad for the Colonel, but what could be done just now?...

Back at the saw mill, Lee had been looking at plans for the Thornton homestead. He was in deep thought when Jesse came into his office, "Mr. Coulter, I have been on a search for that type of sycamore tree you wanted to me to find, and I don't believe we have any here near the mill, or around Hope Valley, for that matter. I even asked people who have lived here all their lives and they said there may have been some before the coal mine developed some of the town, but the older folks can't remember for sure.". "Hmmm", said Lee, he was deep in thought again. "I am looking for that particular type of sycamore because Jack had told me he always loved the sycamores at his uncle's ranch and hoped to have them at his own place someday. If I could find a sycamore, I'd like to build him something out of it in his memory. Wish I could plant him a tree too, but I'd have to find a seedling, and if the old-timers can't remember, then I would imagine, there aren't any sycamores in this area". Henry Gowen knocked at the door and asked to come in, "Mr. Coulter, sir, the big saw in back isn't spinning. Do you know if Doug is coming in this week? I don't think we can finish this order without him". Henry's news brought Lee back to more routine realities, "Shucks Henry, that isn't good, is it? I'll have to go send Doug a telegram and have him come to fix the saw then because I wasn't expecting him this week. Jesse, thanks for looking for sycamores for me". "Sycamores?", echoed Henry, "You're looking for sycamores? I saw sycamores in a little town about an hour north of here called, Riverton, when I was coming back from the appeals court last year". Lee turned around in surprise, "Really now? In Riverton you say?" Lee said with a big grin that began to fill his face. "Yes, sir" answered Henry. "Well, hmm, I tell you what, I'm going to go send this telegram, and then, Henry, maybe you and I could prepare to leave for Riverton. And since you're more familiar with the place, you could point out where you saw the sycamores there?" Henry nodded in agreement. "Ok, thanks", said Lee and he left the mill to go send the telegram. "Next order of business, I gotta go find Rosemary", Lee thought to himself.

In a small town located twenty miles northwest of Cape Fullerton was a frontier looking town called, Riverton. A lad in faded clothes who had come to town months before not remembering who he was, had been working at the stables to pay for food and board at the local boarding house. He was found by a kindly man named, Mr. Sam Higgins who had found him injured on his land. Sam had brought the young man back to his home, and he and his wife had tended to the seriously injured fellow since there was no doctor in town to care for him. He had quite the bump on his head and his mind was flooded by flashbacks, but he had an awful time recalling life before the bump on his head. To keep things simple, the caring couple dubbed the young man, "Daniel" until more knowledge of his past could be found or realized. Daniel had just lifted up a huge bundle of hay and placed it in one of the stables so the horses could eat. "Thanks Daniel", said Mr. Higgins who then paid him for his work. The young man had strength in his face, hands, and all about him. He was handsome, caring, and serious about his work. And he was grateful to Sam Higgins for the work and the pay, "Thank you, sir, though I don't think my name is Daniel, I still can't remember my real name." "I know son, but I happen to know the circuit doctor is coming to Riverton today or tomorrow, and I think you should talk to him then." Dan was grateful to Mr. Higgins who had taken care of him since he crawled onto his land one day. He was uncertain who was, where he came from, and couldn't remember anything about anything, except he woke up next to a poor Mountie who apparently had died next to him, and Dan himself was badly injured. Worst of all, he had nothing on him to remind him who he was, or if he had any family, except for his dark pants with faded yellow stripes down the sides. His shirt was that which was worn for layering under thicker clothing. He sat down to take a break, rubbing his head and wishing the motion of doing so would help jog his memory. Every now and then he would have a flashback of a beautiful young woman with a lovely face and brown flowing locks. But who was she to him? Was she his mother when he was a little boy? Or his sweetheart? And then there were flashbacks of a town and blurry faces of people. But where was this, and who were the people to him? The not knowing drove him crazy. His thoughts were interrupted when a well-to-do gentleman with a black bag rode up. A passer-by saw the gentleman and called out, "Well hello Doc. Warren, good to see ya, what brings you to town?" The doctor answered, "Just making my rounds, Henry.", he answered as he got off his horse. Daniel was glad to see the circuit doctor was already in town. "Dr. Warren?", he started, "I work at the livery and can see to your horse, and when you've finished making your calls, I'd like to ask you about me". The doctor obviously had lots to do, quickly glanced at the young man and nodded in agreement. He then went about his way. Daniel was hopeful because maybe some of his questions could be answered.

Several hours had gone by when the doctor came back to see about his horse at the livery and he saw the young man again. "Well, son, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"….just then, Sam Higgins, who had taken care of Daniel saw Dr. Warren had come back and was talking to him. "Hi there, Doc, good to see you, if you have some time, this fella really could do with you checking out his head, and talking to him". The doctor looked at the livery owner and back at Daniel. "What seems to be the trouble?" "Well sir, I can't seem to remember who I am or anything about me, except I have flashbacks about a young lady with brown flowing hair and a very pretty face, a town that I can't remember the name of, blurry faces of people I can't seem to remember, and images of me falling, with flashes of red". "Flashes of red?" repeated the doctor. Daniel nodded, "Well you see, I think I must have fallen and hit my head because when I woke up on the ground by the river stream a little south of town, I saw a fellow nearby who appeared to have died, and then I must have passed out again when kind Mr. Higgins came along later, and he and his wife cared for me in their home until I was on my feet again. But I think I remember seeing lots of red around me before falling and tumbling...". The doctor thought, "Do you mean red, like a red serge, like Mounties wear?" he asked. "Mounties?" Daniel thought about it for a moment, and his mind went racing. He saw himself wearing a red serge jacket and giving it to someone else, it had all of his identification in that jacket. "I think so", replied Dan and rubbed his forehead as if it would help him remember. He started to have flashbacks of a lot of men wearing red jackets scrambling when a landslide happened, and he remembered two men he was in front of, he pushed out of the way before he himself fell. "Well son, two things I'll point out to you, I see your faded pants resemble part of the uniform of a Mountie, and I spy your wedding ring there too". "Wedding ring!" Daniel repeated after the doctor, and the flashes of the beautiful young woman flooded his head again. "Maybe I'm married?" Mr. Higgins and Dr. Warren exchanged glances, "Well sure, Dan, the Mrs. and I suspected you were, but weren't sure", said Sam. And Dr. Warren chimed in, "Very likely the young lady you keep having flashbacks of, son, but it's hard to say". Dan sat confused and frustrated, how would he ever remember for sure? "Is there any way, I can regain my memory?", he finally asked out loud. "Well", the doctor began, "I would say if something jogs your memory for you to try to remember as much as you can, and then with Sam's help here, hopefully you can recall where you belong. But don't get too discouraged, it takes a while for the brain to heal from a bump like the one you got". "That's right", added Sam, "if we can get a lead on anything you can remember, the Mrs. and I will do all we can to get you back home where you belong". Daniel was encouraged…..just the clarity he had in that short conversation was comforting to him. Hopefully more things would trigger other memories that would help him to remember.

A day or two later, Lee Coulter and Henry Gowen arrived in Riverton in search of sycamores. They were on the edge of town scouting when they bumped into Sam Higgin's wife, Dorothy, who was out on her afternoon walk. "Good day, sirs, are you passing through Riverton?", she asked. "Hi ma'am", Lee responded, "to tell you the truth, we were hoping to get one of your sycamore trees here in Riverton. My name is Lee Coulter, and I own a saw mill in Hope Valley". And then Henry jumped in, "Yes ma'am, I was trying to lead Mr. Coulter to where I had seen sycamores here before. Name is Gowen, and Mr. Coulter is my employer. We were hoping to get permission from whoever owned the land with the sycamore on it", Henry finished. "Well sirs, yes, we have sycamores out in these parts, in fact, we have several on our own land here", replied Mrs. Higgins. "But you'd want to see my husband, Sam Higgins, about them, he owns and works at the livery in town", she said most accommodatingly. Lee smiled, "That's very generous of you, Mrs. Higgins, we'll ride on into town and see if we can find your husband, thank you!" Lee and Henry turned their horses and galloped on to Riverton. Lee was so excited to be that much closer to finding this special tree.

It was about quitting time at the livery, but Sam had decided to have Daniel leave early after all his hard work that day. "Dan, why don't you go ahead and call it a day? I hear tell the inn is having shepherd's pie tonight for.." SHEPHERD'S PIE!" shouted Dan, and he thought about this specific meal having particular meaning for him, and very most assuredly the beautiful young lady he kept thinking of…. "What is it, Daniel, did you remember something else?" said Mr. Higgins with a hopeful tone in his voice. "Well Mr. Higgins, I know shepherd's pie was very special to me and that young lady I'm trying to remember, but it had other special significance too, I remember another lady in connection with this meal….I wish I could remember!" he said somewhat frustrated. "Well then," said Mr. Higgins, "I would definitely go to the inn and have it for your supper tonight, maybe the eating of it will help jog other memories too!" Mr. Higgins was onto something for sure, and so Dan shook his hand most sincerely, and hurried off to the inn.

Right after he left, Lee and Henry rode up, hopped off their horses, and went looking for Mr. Higgins. When Sam heard the horses neigh, he came out of the livery and saw the two men as they walked inside. "Good evening, gentlemen, welcome to Riverton. My name is Sam Higgins, and this is my livery. Do you need me to house your horses tonight?" Lee spoke up, "Thank you, Mr. Higgins, we would appreciate that, my name is Lee Coulter, from Hope Valley, we bumped into your wife earlier on our way into town and she recommended I come to ask you about sycamores out here in Riverton. She said that you yourself had several. And to be clear, I'm just looking for one tree, even a branch off that tree…it's for a special project I'm doing for my friend's widow" Lee concluded. Sam was happy to help out, "Yes, we do have several sycamores here in our little town, and on the outskirts too. Dorothy was right to send you my way because I can point them all out to you. Sycamores happen to be my favorite tree". Lee was elated at his good luck and thanked the kind man for his willingness to help. "Tell you what", Sam continued, "How about we meet here first thing in the morning, and I'll show you around. We'll see what we can do for you." Even Gowen couldn't help but smile at the kindness shown to both of them by Mr. Higgins. They could at last get to work on the project for Jack's Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, back in Hope Valley, Rosemary had just received a telegram at the mercantile from Mountie headquarters for Lee and placed it in her basket for safe keeping until he returned. She headed back home but wanted to stop by Elizabeth's first and check on her friend. Elizabeth met her at the door with her laundry in tow, and both friends greeted each other. "Why Elizabeth, are you sure you should be doing laundry in your condition?" "Oh Rosemary, women have been doing laundry for centuries while in 'my condition', I'm sure I'll be fine", she said with a smile. "Well just the same", said Rosemary, "don't overdo it, my dear". As much as Rosemary could be a little too much into one's business sometimes, she was a very considerate friend and Elizabeth couldn't help but appreciate her concern. "I won't", she promised, "in fact, I will probably be getting help with this once I'm in the third trimester. Speaking of which, I have some skirts I need to show you and Dottie, do you think you could let them out a bit more?" inquired Elizabeth. "We'd be happy to", Rosemary assured her. Abigail walked up just then, and found the two neighbors busy talking measurements, "Hello ladies", she said. "I've come to ask you both over for tea tomorrow afternoon, and help me by trying a couple of new pies I want to sell at the café. If you don't mind being my taste testers", she finished. Rosemary didn't mind, and Elizabeth though a little more hesitant agreed to the task. "That sounds like fun", Elizabeth said. "And I'll be there", Rosemary agreed. It was settled, the three friends would enjoy a nice afternoon of tea and pies.

After concluding things with Mr. Higgins, Lee and Henry decided they should find lodging for the night and see about a meal. Mr. Higgins had recommended the inn where they were having shepherd's pie for supper that night. Henry who felt more like an employee than a friend to Lee, excused himself and went to bed early. Long rides wore him out, and he felt the need to hit the hay as soon as he could. Lee, on the other hand, was ready to eat supper before calling it a night and went downstairs to the dining room to eat. As he was seated, he couldn't help but notice a very familiar face in the dining room a few tables away. How could he recognize anyone in Riverton when he never had any regular business there, he tried to rationalize with himself. And with a shrug, he decided to finish his meal and then get on to bed.

Next morning, Lee and Henry met up with Mr. Higgins bright and early before he was going to open the livery. He left a note for Daniel, and told him where he would be and that he would join him at the livery as soon as he had concluded business. By the time Daniel got to the livery, the men were long since gone, and so he set about to caring for the horses. He also noticed two more horses that were in the stables that weren't there when he left the night before. While he worked, his thoughts kept returning to the shepherd's pie he'd had for supper at the inn. What was it about shepherd's pie? And lard too, though? It was frustrating having these thoughts and not knowing why, but he was determined to keep trying to remember, and not give up.

Mr. Higgins had brought his wagon to work to take Lee and Henry on their sycamore expedition. He agreed with his wife that they had several on their own property, even had some fallen limbs that were in somewhat decent condition, as they hadn't been on the ground for long. Lee was quite pleased with one of the limbs they saw, and now tried to figure out how to properly transport it back to Hope Valley. Mr. Higgins suggested a neighbor of his who had a lumbering saw who might be able to help cut the piece in smaller sections in order for Lee to could get it home. So they visited the neighbor to ask the favor. After bundling the pieces, Lee was quite certain, he could get the wood back home, and work on the project he had in mind to give to Elizabeth. By now, Sam Higgins had been talking with Lee for a while now about this or that and asked him about his project. So Lee told him about his friend, Constable Jack Thornton who had died tragically a few months before, leaving behind his bride, and a baby on the way. "What was Jack like?", Sam asked. "Well", thought Lee, "… He had been our town's constable for many years. He was a very good friend to me, and my wife. Honestly in all sincerity, he was probably the best friend I ever had. It was a tragic loss for the town, but most especially his wife Elizabeth, who he had just recently married." "That is very sad", Sam agreed and he thought about the young bride's loss, and that of Hope Valley too. "How did he die?" Sam asked after a short pause. "Poor Jack was involved in a landslide with his troop of Mounties during a training assignment. It's been so hard to see Elizabeth learning to go on without him while expecting their baby. They were one of those couples who had been through a lot, and well, to finally see them get married, for him to die just a few short weeks later…." Lee looked as if the retelling of those sad events were bringing back all the heartache all over again. But trying to regain his composure before he lost it, he continued, "So I'm very determined to make this gift very special for his widow". Sam was intrigued at the constant mention of the Mountie's wife, "I imagine, she is quite the young woman herself having had the courage to marry a Mountie despite the risk involved", he mused. "Oh she is, and it was always funny to see Jack stop in his tracks whenever he saw her with her long, flowing brown hair and sweet smile. Jack boy was head over heels in love with her! We were all so happy to see those two finally get married…."

Dan was about to finish up the last round of cleaning out the stalls at the livery when he heard Mr. Higgins' wagon approach. Sam was returning the visitors back to the livery so they could gather their horses and set off for home. "Whoa, team!" Daniel heard Sam say, and went out to assist the livery owner and his companions. "Hi there, Dan, these men are probably ready for their horses", as he was getting down to lead his team into the stables. Lee and Henry had hopped off the wagon and were unloading the wood when Lee turned around to meet Dan face to face. When Dan greeted him, Lee stood there wide-eyed in disbelief and was barely able to say, "Jack?!" Henry looked at Lee, and then at the young man who had stunned his employer, and he too was shocked. Mr. Higgins had seen the reactions and was immediately intrigued, "Did you call this young man, Jack? Do you know him?" he said to Lee. Clearly astonished, Lee was kind of brought back to reality by the sound of Sam's voice. "I-I th-think so", he stammered. All Dan could do was stare back as if he was trying to understand what Lee was saying, and Mr. Higgins too. "You called me, Jack? My name is Jack?" Then Lee responded, "Jack, do you know me? I'm Lee, Lee Coulter, your friend, we live in Hope Valley"…..By now Jack's mind was racing, Lee certainly looked familiar to him and he was getting besieged by a constant flow of flashbacks. Lee interrupted his thinking and said, "Oh Jack, Elizabeth will be so happy to learn you're alive!" "Elizabeth!" Jack started to remember his lovely wife, "She's the one I kept seeing in my flashbacks, my wife, my beautiful Elizabeth!" "Lee! My very good friend! And Hope Valley!" Jack said aloud. Everything was starting to flood his mind and things were starting to fall into place. Mr. Higgins was awestruck, "But how?" Gowen who had been silently beholding these amazing turn of events finally spoke up…"Do you suppose the Mounties made a mistake thinking Jack had died in the landslide?". And Lee chimed in, "Say Jack, did you have any identification on you the day of the landslide?" As Jack was thinking, and boy, was he glad to remember who he was, he said, "Well all I can tell you is, that shortly before the landslide, I had given my jacket to a fellow Mountie who was coming down with a fever. Poor fellow was very ill but he was determined to finish the training and get back to headquarters. When the landslide happened and I pushed two trainees out of the way, I didn't have my jacket on. I remember waking up and that poor fellow lay dead next to me. I quickly realized he had died, and since I felt I had some pretty bad injuries myself, and no one was around, I decided to crawl on to get help. And then I guess I passed out again until Mr. Higgins came along and found me". "Yeah, Dan, I mean, Jack was in pretty bad shape when we found him. Me and the Mrs. brought him to our home since we don't have a doctor living here in Riverton, and did whatever we could to tend to him". Jack smiled remembering the couple's kindness to him. "I can't thank you and Mrs. Higgins enough", Jack said. Now a new concern troubled Lee. Jack didn't know Elizabeth was going to have a baby and he didn't want to spoil the surprise, but he did have to figure out how to get Jack home without shocking Elizabeth into losing their baby. So he started to mention her, "So Jack, Henry and I have finished our business here in Riverton, and I would personally like to escort you home. But I have to wonder how we show up in Hope Valley and not give Elizabeth the shock of her life.", while trying not to mention her condition. Henry looked at Lee like he was going to ask him why he wasn't mentioning Elizabeth was going to have a baby, but got a look from Lee that kept him quiet. "Yeah", thought Jack, "I'm not sure how we do that." Lee knowing it would have to take special care said, "Well I don't think I would send a telegram that notifies everyone. But I could send a telegram to Rosie and tell her to tell Elizabeth that I'm due home soon and I need to talk to her about something very important. We could have you ducked out of way until I can tell her in a very careful way as to avoid shock, you know, and then after I carefully break it to her, you can come out, and Elizabeth can see for herself". "Yes, that might be the best way", Jack agreed, "but I think it would be best at night so the whole town doesn't want to run to our row house". "We can make that work" continued Lee. It was all decided. Lee and Henry would go send the telegram to Rosemary while Jack went to say goodbye to Mrs. Higgins and Mr. Higgins one more time, inviting both of them to visit he and his wife anytime in Hope Valley.

Meanwhile back in Hope Valley, Elizabeth and Rosemary had been having a lovely tea party with Abigail. and were just about to dig into the new pies that Abigail hoped they would taste for her. "So what are these mysterious pies?" Elizabeth asked her. "Well, I decided to try and make a chocolate cream pie, as well as a key lime pie", Abigail replied. Both Elizabeth and Rosemary were very ready to taste and enjoy the delicious looking pies. "Oh Abigail, that's heavenly", Elizabeth said. "Simply scrumptious", Rosemary added. "Thank you, ladies, I'll take your word for it then and tell Clara we're adding them to the menu". After the tasty tea party, Elizabeth and Rosemary were walking home, when Mr. Yost spied them outside the mercantile and ran outside to Rosemary. "Glad to see you pass by when I did, Mrs. Coulter, I have a telegram for you". He then handed the telegram to Rosemary and tipped his hat good day to the ladies. Rosemary read the telegram and then looked at Elizabeth. "Well hmm, Elizabeth, Lee sends word that he's leaving Riverton tonight and that when he gets home, he needs to talk to you about something very important. He doesn't want either one of us to be alarmed, just prepared for his coming home and talking to you….about whatever it is" finished a curious Rosemary. Elizabeth looked at her friend as she handed her the telegram for Elizabeth to read for herself. "What do you suppose he's talking about, Rosemary?" asked Elizabeth. "Goodness me, Elizabeth, I have no idea….we'll just have to wait and see, I guess", she said as she let out a long sigh. Rosemary then linked her arm through Elizabeth's and walked her home.

By now Jack, Lee, and Henry had gathered their belongings, and were ready to ride from Riverton to Hope Valley. It was going to take a good day of riding to get back to Hope Valley, with a brief rest on the way, but Jack was ready. He was ready to get back to his life with Elizabeth, Hope Valley, and everything else.

The next evening the men were on the outskirts of Hope Valley. Henry spoke up, "Well gentlemen, I'll ride on to my place from here, and let you gentlemen have your homecoming with your wives. And Jack, if I may say so, it's really good to have you back". "Thanks Henry, it's good to be back!" replied Jack. The friends went on their way and stopped just a short distance from their homes. They both decided it might be good to tie their horses up and walk the rest of the way as to not alert their wives that they were home. Jack stayed by the trees, while Lee walked on home and went into his house first. From a safe distance Jack saw Rosemary welcome Lee home, he hugged his wife and then told Rosemary he was going to go talk to Elizabeth, but he'd call Rosemary over very soon. He just had to talk to her first because it concerned Elizabeth first and foremost. Rosemary very hesitatingly resigned to Lee's request, and waited impatiently with her ears pressed against the wall awaiting for her summons. Now Jack saw Lee leave his house and walk next door, he saw the door crack open and could barely see Elizabeth's profile as he suddenly got a little nervous. He could hardly wait to see her and hug her and kiss her. Elizabeth had met Lee at the door and welcomed him inside. "Hi Lee, what's all this mystery about?" she asked obviously excited and curious. "Well Elizabeth, I've been thinking on how to begin, but first I want you sitting down, and to think of the baby as I talk to you. Keep calm, and don't forget to breathe, ok? Can you do that for me?" "Oh dear", said Elizabeth, "something is wrong, isn't it?", she said. "No no no no", Lee assured her, "nothing is wrong, in fact, everything is all right now". Elizabeth had no idea what he could possibly mean. "I don't know if Rosie told you what I was doing in Riverton, but my business there was for a gift for you and the baby. But then, it took a turn in a very VERY surprising and unexpected way. Actually shocking." Elizabeth was very curious what he was getting at. "Elizabeth, when I was in Riverton, I ran into someone I never thought I would see again". By now, Jack was waiting off the side of the house and listening at the window. He could see the back of his wife's head with her evening shawl wrapped around her while she was listening to Lee, and waited with much anticipation for his cue. "You ran into someone you didn't expect to see? Does Rosemary know? Who was it?" Now Jack crept quietly up the steps and waited by the back door. Before answering Elizabeth, Lee stood up and walked to the back door. He gently tapped on the door and Jack tapped back signaling he was there ready to come in. "Elizabeth, I want you to stay seated and remember what I told you before about breathing, ok?" "Yes, I remember" Elizabeth replied who could feel her heart start to beat much faster after hearing the tap from the other side of the door. With a nervous sigh, Lee continued, "Elizabeth, there's been a huge mistake about Jack's death, he didn't die in the landslide, he didn't die", and as he spoke, he slowly opened the door to reveal Jack standing in the doorway. Jack was smiling as big as she'd ever seen him and she couldn't believe she was seeing him, she felt like the room was getting a little bit dark, as she stood up from where she was sitting. She thought that she was looking at a ghost. "What?! My Jack is alive! MY JACK is here?!" she said with shock as happy tears started to stream down her face, and she began to feel her legs start to wobble beneath her. Jack hurried up fast, scooped her up in his arms, and caught her before she fell, while Lee was close behind in case she did fall. Elizabeth couldn't believe it, her Jack was alive, and he was there, holding her and before she could say anything else, he was kissing her too. And what a kiss, she thought the kiss at their wedding was spectacular, but this was beyond dreamy. Lee blushed as he stood by, but remembered he needed to go get Rosemary, so he quietly ducked out of the house and left the lovebirds to have a moment or two. He then tiptoed back to his home and told Rosemary the remarkable news. Rosemary was overjoyed, and while she found it hard not to run next door and see for herself, she agreed to give the couple a little time and went with Lee to take the horses they had left outside to the livery. Back at the Thornton's, Jack was in complete heaven kissing his wife, and Elizabeth thought she must be dreaming when Baby Thornton made their presence known. Jack felt a bump into his ribs from Elizabeth's direction….and looked at her with questioning eyes, but before he could ask, Elizabeth who was wrapped up in her shawl still, spoke up as she removed her shawl, "Jack, I believe our baby just introduced themselves to you" she said with a big smile on her face. "Our baby?!" he repeated, "Our BABY!" he repeated again to himself, and kissed Elizabeth again elated at the news. Their family was beginning and he was so very grateful to the Good Lord that he was there to see it. As Elizabeth stood back to adjust her shawl, and feeling the need to sit down after all the excitement, Jack led her by the arm over the sofa and didn't let go of her hand once they sat down. Neither one of them could stop looking at each other. "Elizabeth, I can't believe it, we're going to be parents just like we always dreamed about". "And I can't believe you're here! Oh Jack, what happened to you? Why were you gone all this time since the landslide?" Jack then began to tell Elizabeth everything that had happened leading up to when Lee and Henry showed up in Riverton and then all that came out that helped bring his memory back. He told her about giving the Mountie his jacket, the landslide, the crawling to get help, waking up in the Higgins' homestead and working at the livery trying to remember who he was and where he came from. "But all the while, I kept having flashbacks of you, I longed for you and I wasn't sure why until Lee and Henry came. Their faces brought back memories and then when they spoke and Lee said your name, things started to come back to me like a flash of light, it all hit me at once". "Dear Jack, what a hard thing this must have been for you, were you very badly hurt?" "I think the Higgins surmised I had some sprains, but most of all I took a pretty good bonk on the head, which is why I didn't get home to you sooner…otherwise, Elizabeth, you have to know, nothing would have stopped me from being in your arms again." Elizabeth blushed as he spoke, how she had missed his voice, and hearing him speak about his feelings for her. And it was all back. He was back, her Jack was alive and well, and would be there for her and their baby. How good God was to do all of this, and as she was thinking, Jack leaned in to kiss her once more with his hand on their baby. Surely life, didn't get much better than this. Their kiss was interrupted by a quiet knock on the back door and Jack went to the door to let in Lee, Rosemary and Abigail. The Coulter's had gone to get Abigail as she was a very dear friend of Elizabeth's and Jack's, and theirs, and they knew the Thornton's would want her to know.

It was a quite a happy reunion of sorts in the Thornton's row house that night. Everyone was filled in on how Jack was found and where he'd been, and the whole misunderstanding the Mounties had concerning his death. It was decided that the next morning, they'd inform the rest of Hope Valley of the very happy news.

The next morning Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, almost afraid that the night before was a wonderful dream. But it wasn't a dream, it was real. And Jack was awake laying beside her, and looking at her. Overjoyed at seeing his lovely smile greet her first thing in the morning, she sweetly kissed him and he held her tight not wanting to let go. "Jack, so many times I woke up and wished you were here, and now you truly are! I am so very happy you're here". "Me too, Elizabeth, me too". And he leaned in and kissed his wife again.

Hope Valley was waking up and the town was getting ready for the day. Slowly but surely, all the residents of the town learned of Jack's remarkable return. How amazing it was to have him back. One of the first orders of business for Jack was to get a telegram to Mountie headquarters to Col. Connors, his superintendent. Bill advised him that it was going to shake up the Mounties to realize their mistake, but it was a telegram they needed to receive. Soon afterward, Jack received a telegram back from headquarters informing him that the superintendent himself would visit him in Hope Valley in a few days and discuss everything with Jack. Until then, Jack got back into routine as if nothing had ever happened. He even helped Bill at the jail. When Col. Connors finally arrived in Hope Valley, he wasted no time in getting down to business with Jack, and walked with Jack and Elizabeth back to the jail. "Constable Thornton", he began, "to get right to the point, and on behalf of the entire Royal Mounted Police, I want to tell you most heartily how happy we are that you are alive. Of course we are saddened by Private Mullen's death, but we intend to give you the Distinguished Medal of Honor for bravery in risking your life for the trainees under your charge." Jack was stunned yet again, and Elizabeth squealed out with delight, "Oh Jack, that is wonderful! And you so deserve it!" she said proudly. Jack blushed at his wife's compliment and stepped forward to shake the Colonel's hand and very modestly thanked him for such a high honor. "Furthermore, Jack, we want to promote you to Captain's status. You will also no longer be called to war or any other assignments, unless you yourself request one, we want you to stay here as Hope Valley's permanent law enforcement. We personally feel like we can't risk losing you one more time." Both Jack and Elizabeth were speechless with dropped jaws in front of Col. Connors. "T-thank you, so much, Sir", Jack finally spoke up. And Elizabeth beamed with a tear streaming down her cheek. "OH, one more thing" started the Colonel…."Bill, please go get Mr. Coulter from the saw mill". Bill nodded to the task and quickly ran to get Lee. The Colonel smiled at Jack and Elizabeth and they wondered what else he could possibly have up his sleeve. "Sir, I don't know exactly what to say, 'thank you' doesn't seem nearly enough", said Jack. And as he was still trying to comprehend everything that the Colonel had told him, Lee had arrived with Bill. "Ah, Mr. Coulter, glad you could join us". "Of course, Colonel", replied Lee. "Well Mr. Coulter after receiving your telegram, and responding to it…." "Oh, you did, sir? I never received your telegram though". Snapping his fingers after he thought for a moment, "But I bet your response came when I was out of town, and Rosie has it"…."Rosie?" questioned Col. Connors. "Yes, Colonel, my wife, Rosemary". "Hmmm, yes, well, as I was saying, I greatly appreciated your inquiry in regards to Captain Thornton here….and well, as this was an unusual circumstance, it is the opinion of the Royal Mounted Police to grant your request". Lee, who was very happy to receive this news, thanked the Colonel with an excited handshake. Jack and Elizabeth, and even Bill looked very puzzled until the Colonel spoke up again. "Well Capt. Thornton, I'll let Mr. Coulter fill you in, but first let me congratulate you again, and then be on my way. And I understand congratulations are in order on another matter as well", and he turned and smiled at Elizabeth, who returned his smile and placed her hand down to pat their sweet bundle. "Yes sir, thank you so much, sir, Elizabeth and I will never forget it", Jack said very gratefully. Elizabeth spoke up, "Yes, thank you for everything, Col. Connors!" . "So long, Captain, and at ease"…..they saluted, and the Superintendent was on his way to more Mountie business.

Everyone stood stunned in the jail for a few moments, when Lee broke the silence…."Jack, my friend, I'm sorry the Colonel left before you got this bit of news". "Lee, what else could the man possibly add to all that he's already done for us?" "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton", began Leland, "I had contacted the Colonel shortly before we found you alive in Riverton, Jack. I wanted to start work on your homestead for Elizabeth and the baby to fulfill my promise to you, and asked Col. Connors if there were any provisions with the Mounties to help their widows with lodging, furnishings and supplies, especially expectant mothers, like Elizabeth. And well, it appears that the Royal Mounted Police are going to grant that request. We're going to start building right away, and we'll be able to furnish it too and get supplies in time for the arrival of Baby Thornton", Lee finished quite pleased to share this news with his good friends. Rosemary who had been looking for Lee everywhere, had a wrapped package with her when she peeked inside the jail and saw everyone standing there. "Lee! There you are! I saw the Colonel, and it reminded me that he'd sent you a telegram when you were away but I forgot to give it to you when you returned" said a regretful Rosemary. "That's alright, sweetheart, I just got a better answer from the Colonel himself just now, and we're going to go ahead and start the Thornton's homestead right away!" Everyone was elated as they cheered. Jack shook Lee's hand and, and Elizabeth hugged Rosemary, as Bill slipped out to go share the news with Abigail at the café. "Well Lee" said Rosemary, "it's a good thing I came when I did, as this seems a very appropriate moment for you to give this to Jack and Elizabeth". Lee grinned from ear to ear in agreeance with his wife, took the large package and set it on the desk, and then motioned to the Thornton's to open the gift. Jack cut the twine and Elizabeth lifted the paper to reveal a carved plaque that said "The Thornton's, established 1915". "This is lovely you two" Elizabeth was quick to exclaim and thanked the Coulters. Jack who had been eyeing the well-made carved plaque turned to Lee and said, "Lee, this is extraordinary, thank you both with all of our hearts. It means a lot to me, especially that you carved it out of sycamore". "Jack, it was our pleasure. And just so you know, this plaque was carved by a sycamore limb that we procured from Mr. Higgins' property that day we ran into you". Jack was completely amazed by everything. So was Elizabeth. Just then Abigail peeked in and joined in the celebratory air at the jail. Jack, who was very touched by the sweet gesture of their friends, said to his good friend, "Lee, Elizabeth and I will hang this plaque in a place of honor in our new home. Thank you for everything." Lee shrugged off any thanks, "Happy to do it, but so glad Hope Valley has its Mountie back, and Elizabeth has her Jack". All agreed to the sentiment. Elizabeth walked over to Jack, kissed his cheek and took his arm. "Well Mr. Thornton, I'm looking forward to seeing this homestead of ours built and welcome Baby Thornton there"…."As am I, Mrs. Thornton, as am I" Jack agreed, he then leaned in and kissed his beautiful wife, and all cheered for they were blessedly grateful too.

::fade out, and end scene::


End file.
